MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Less than a week after the second Visit Kwa Clean-up Campaign took place in KwaNonqaba, some boxes and bags of waste, seemingly from a local restaurant, were found dumped along Mfuleni Street.
A video of the waste, which was left at a drop-off facility used by residents to store domestic refuse, was posted on Facebook yesterday, 4 December, by Walter Blaq, the founder of Visit Kwa.
The video shows the boxes and bags of discarded fish heads, bones, food and condiment containers dumped at the drop-off facility.
Blaq said he had been on his way to work yesterday morning when he came across municipal-contracted Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers cleaning the site, and he started filming the video.
“While we as a community are out here doing clean-up campaigns, sweating in the sun, trying to restore dignity to our area, this is what some companies are doing behind our backs,” said Blaq.
This video was shot by Walter Blaq on 4 December.
“This is not acceptable. This is not an accident. This is illegal dumping. And it’s disrespectful to our community. We’re trying to build something. We’re trying to clean, educate, uplift and rebrand our neighbourhood. But how do we move forward if businesses are driving all the way into our community just to dump their rubbish here?”
The Mossel Bay Municipality confirmed to Mossel Bay Advertiser that the drop-off facility in Mfuleni Street is only for storing domestic refuse, and that the waste seen in the video is not allowed to be placed there.
“It was the municipal-contracted EPWP teams that found the waste during their regular cleaning programme. The area was cleaned and the waste disposed of in the correct manner,” said the municipality.
Walter Blaq took the below video at Mfuleni Street.
When asked where the waste in the video should have been taken, the municipality said a waste collecting service is provided to businesses by the municipal refuse fleet, and if a business requires more frequent collection, they need to make arrangements with the municipality.
“The applicable tariff will then be levied and the service will be provided. If for some reason they missed collection, they can take the waste to one of the municipal transfer stations. If it’s spoilt food, businesses can also contact the municipality to arrange for a special collection,” it said.
If the municipality suspects a restaurant or business has been dumping illegally, an environmental health practitioner is sent to the premises to find out how the business is dealing with its waste.
When asked what the consequences are for someone illegally dumping items in an area not designated for it, the municipality said: “If there is sufficient evidence, a fine can be issued or a summons to appear in court.”
The Advertiser contacted a local restaurant, which the waste is suspected to have originated from. Its comment will be added once it has been received.
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